North Notes: Packers, Steelers, Browns

The Packers made their Hall of Famer-to-future Hall of Famer quarterback baton pass because they planned far ahead in 2005, drafting Aaron Rodgers as Brett Favre‘s heir apparent. Green Bay has made noise on the quarterback front this year, with the team’s Jordan Love interest being the most recent example. Rodgers has said he wants to play into his 40s, though, and Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller notes a successor is not viewed as a must in this draft. Rodgers, 36, is under contract through 2023 and has received a Pro Bowl invite in every season in which he’s played more than nine games since 2010. The Packers are thin at backup quarterback, however, with only UDFAs Tim Boyle and Manny Wilkins on the roster behind Rodgers. It would stand to reason Brian Gutekunst will explore the addition of a developmental player to fill that role.

Moving to some AFC North matters, here is the latest on the North divisions:

  • James Conner has fared reasonably well as Le’Veon Bell‘s successor, landing on the 2018 Pro Bowl roster and totaling 20 touchdowns in 23 games over the past two seasons. But he has battled injuries in multiple years. Despite the running back being a Pittsburgh native, The Athletic’s Ed Bouchette does not see the Steelers exploring an extension for the contract-year starter (subscription required). Third-year back Jaylen Samuels and second-year cog Benny Snell — each a Day 3 pick — reside as Conner’s backups, pointing to a possible addition at the position in the upcoming draft.
  • Despite giving B.J. Finney a second-round RFA tender last year, the Steelers did not make an effort to re-sign the guard in free agency, Bouchette adds. Finney defected to the Seahawks on a two-year, $8MM deal. Either sliding Stefen Wisniewski into the recently retired Ramon Foster‘s left guard spot or moving starting right tackle Matt Feiler to that position may be on the table, Bouchette adds. Foster’s 145 starts mark the fifth-most by a Steelers offensive lineman, so the franchise will be trudging into new territory next season.
  • Viewed as a landing spot for one of this draft’s top tackles, the Browns are doing their homework. They had planned to make Georgia alum Andrew Thomas one of their “30” visits, per Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com, but the NFL nixed pre-draft visits early in the process because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Browns instead conducted a video-chat session with the first-round talent. The Browns, who hold the No. 10 overall pick, have not addressed their left tackle need. They restructured Chris Hubbard‘s deal, however, putting the embattled right tackle in position to keep his job. Thomas saw time at both left and right tackle with the Bulldogs. Thomas said, via Cabot, he’s spoken to seven or eight teams — mostly those with top-10 picks.
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